1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a catheter introducer and method of using same adapted to enable an electrical charge to pass through a standard catheter, utilizing an elongate wire, such that the electrically energized wire facilitates insertion of the catheter directly into the patient, thereby enabling a doctor to easily and safely insert a catheter into the patient without requiring a large aperture through which the catheter would be inserted be made.
2. Description of the Related Art
More and more commonly today surgical procedures do not require large incisions in a patient wherein all must be exposed for a doctor to properly operate. Laproscopic type surgical procedures are becoming the prevalent norm because of their many benefits to the recovery of the patient. In procedures such as gallbladder surgery, a number of relatively large apertures, wherein trocars are generally inserted and maintained, are made in the patient as the primary access to the patient's interior. Through these openings, a patient's abdominal region is inflated so as to provide a more ample and convenient work area within the patient. By means of the trocars, surgical tools are inserted into the patient such that the procedures may be performed. In many procedures, such as the gallbladder procedure, catheters are utilized for particular segments of the operation. Traditionally, catheter introducers much like a smaller version of a trocar have been utilized to make an aperture within a patient wherethrough the catheter is then inserted. These extraneous openings, however, are still too large and it would be very beneficial to minimize the size of these extraneous openings whenever possible. Due to the flexible and substantially thin nature of a catheter, they have not been readily adaptable for direct insertion into the patient because that would be analogous to pushing a string into a hole in the wall. Therefore, an introducer has been utilized for catheter insertion therethrough, requiring the formation of the extraneous holes.
The device of the present invention is adapted specifically to enable the catheter itself to be inserted directly into the patient without the need for any additional, relatively large openings, thereby minimizing the size of any opening within the patient and eliminating the need for extra trocar type introducers to be utilized for each catheter that must be inserted into the patient. The catheter introducer of the present invention is adapted for use with any catheter. It is like an electric sword. It utilizes an electrically energized elongate wire that passes through the catheter tube and protrudes slightly from a tip thereof. By energizing the wire, the tip portion of the wire upon contacting the patient's flesh allows the catheter to easily pass through the patient's flesh and limits the size of the aperture directly to the diameter of the catheter. Known introducers require an opening through which the catheter is inserted and require an introducer for each catheter which is within the patient at a given time. Accordingly, a catheter introducer as that of the present invention which enables the catheter to be inserted directly and may be removed from an inserted catheter and utilized with other catheters to be inserted, provides a beneficial improvement in non-invasive type surgery.